After a long week and two performances at Austin's SXSW festival, Sweden's sassy rock quintet The Sounds board a plane heading for California. The band is on its way to officially kicking off its second headlining North American tour when, somewhere between Texas and L.A., a sleeping Johan Bengtsson is awoken by screaming and rapidly decreasing altitude. The plane has been struck by lightning.
"I was sleeping when I felt the plane drop, like, a lot -- it was not normal turbulence," says Bengtsson, The Sounds' bassist. "People started screaming and I saw the first episode of "Lost" -- where everyone's getting tossed around in the place -- flash before me and I thought to myself, 'This is not going to be good.'
But instead of retreating into a panicked "Almost Famous" confession session, the band played it cool, rode out the storm to Vegas, where, on a layover, keyboardist Jesper Anderberg raked in $2,700 playing slot machines. Two days later the band showed up for the first show of its tour at L.A.'s Henry Fonda Theater only to discover Bengtsson's back-up bass and drummer Fredrick Nilsson's drum kit had been lost in shipping.
If this all sounds a little over the top, it is. But according to 26-year-old Bengtsson, who ended up with a bass signed by Slayer for the show, the craziness and catastrophe -- with the possible exception of getting struck by lightning -- has been pretty much par for the course for the band.
"The last three years have been just crazy," he says. "And that is where 'Dying To Say This To You' came from. What we're talking about in this album is everything that we went through since the release of 'Living In America,' -- basically going from being a nobody to being thrown in a tour bus and spending three years on the road. It was a big change for us."
And though leading lady Maja Ivarsson, guitarist Felix Rodriguez and their crew take the stage like a fierce force, curating energetic dance parties by way of infectiously poppy, synth-ridden songs that sum up the attitude and allure of youth culture, Bengtsson admits that rock 'n' roll's limelight is not always one glamorous after-party.
"To be honest about it, being in a band and being away from family all the time, it tears up relationships and makes things really complicated."
But when you want it, you want it. And The Sounds were dying for it.
After spending three or four years working on its debut, New Line signed the band to record "Living In America," immediately hurling the Blondie-like band into the international spotlight. Consisting of 12 attention-grabbing new wave throwbacks, the debut was a hit, and Bengtsson feels the sophomore effort is even stronger yet.
"(The second album) is more thought through and more worked on. We're also more experienced, and this time around we got into the studio and focused in on the songwriting and really worked through every note on the album to make it the best that we could."
He seems genuinely surprised to hear that the synthy, dance punk tone of album generates a high level of '80s nostalgia.
"It's not like we have a game plan to sound '80s, it's just the way we write music. We're not looking to be some kind of retro band at all. I mean, the '80s had music that was really focused on strong melodies and I think that's what we're doing too. We just want to play high-energy music with strong melodies, and if people think it sounds '80s that's their opinion. But I love '80s music and I think it's a complement in a way."
And musical complements are something The Sounds are no strangers to. Prior to making an appearance as one half of the duo of beautiful creatures gracing the cover of "Dying To Say This To You," DJ Leigh -- one of the founding DJs from New York's illustrious club Misshapes -- has twice invited the members to guest DJ at the club's Saturday night dance parties.
"Whenever I'm in New York, I end up there -- it's a good party. Three DJs started it a couple years ago and their concept is just throwing these crazy dance parties with guest DJs, mostly people from bands or record labels."
The Sounds spinning other people's good music is probably a fun time, but The Sounds performing its own should not be missed. The band plays The Rave on Saturday, April 22. The 7 p.m. show opens with Action Action and Morningwood.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
